»INSIDE
THURSDAY
JUNE 23
2022
DINING ON
THE PIER
‘SHIP REPORT’
CELEBRATES
NEARLY
20 YEARS
PAGE 6
AURANT
ITALIAN REST RIA
OPENS IN ASTO
PETS AND
COASTAL
WILDLIFE
PAGE 8
PAGE 14
A SUMMER
BLUEBERRY
CRISP
PAGE 15
July 2-3
Astoria
Co. Fairgrounds
Clatsop
149TH YEAR, NO. 153
DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022
$1.50
City
Council
backs
library
bond
The $8M proposal will go
before voters in November
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The Port of Astoria has struggled with aging infrastructure.
Port faces challenges in fi nancing
infrastructure improvements
Agency looking to
expand boatyard, rebuild
East Mooring Basin
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
P
ort of Astoria c ommissioners on
Tuesday heard the long- awaited
results of a feasibility study that
looked at infrastructure improvements
at the boatyard and the East Mooring
Basin .
Representatives from BST Associ-
ates, a consulting fi rm , gave an exten-
sive review of their fi ndings, touching
on trends, uses and potential options
as the Port looks to expand the boat-
yard and rebuild the East Mooring
Basin.
Assisting in the project was PBS
Engineering and Environmental Inc.
and Bud Shoemake, the former man-
ager of the Port of Toledo, who acted
as an advisor.
“I, for one, am extremely happy
that we’ve reached this point of really
the fi nal piece in the master develop-
ment plan of the Port,” Frank Spence,
the president of the Port Commission,
said. “The fi rst major one was the
w aterfront m aster p lan, between the
Pier 1 and the bridge, the master plan
going forward with the airport and
now we have the plans and studies in
for the two fi nal pieces, which are the
boatyard and the East Mooring Basin.
“We are where we should be and
now we have everything in place.”
While the consultant spelled out a
number of options at both locations,
funding the improvements remains an
uphill challenge .
“These things come down to prior-
ities. We are dealing with a very lim-
The causeway at the East Mooring
Basin is closed to the public.
ited budget, we are dealing with lim-
ited resources in terms of staffi ng …
there is a lot of stuff going on and
some of these things are not minor
when it comes to our development,”
Will Isom, the Port’s executive direc-
tor , said after the meeting. “ …That’s
something that we wrestle with as
well and that there are so many needs
and challenges – how do you orga-
nize these in a way that you’re mov-
ing things forward knowing that you
can’t address everything at once?”
Boatyard expansion
The loss of log exports during a
U.S. trade war with China presented
an opportunity for the Port to expand
its boatyard in Uniontown onto the
vacant space of Pier 3.
From the survey responses the con-
sultant conducted, users of the boat-
yard identifi ed covered buildings or a
wind block as the biggest need, while
acquiring a bigger lift was second.
“At a high level, when you look
at specifi cally the boatyard, I think
it’s pretty obvious that there are some
improvements that there is demand
for, that people are asking for that
make sense for the Port to start look-
ing into how we may fi nance some
of those things and they would pro-
vide a positive revenue going forward
and the net present value justifi es the
investment,” Isom said.
The consultant presented a num-
ber of concepts and options for the
boatyard, including buildings large
enough to hold sizable boats, space
for a boat lift and other supportive
facilities.
After a decade of log operations,
pavement repair on Pier 3 would also
be necessary . Last year, the Port fi led
a lawsuit against Astoria Forest Prod-
ucts over damages left on the pier.
The original cost estimate for
potential improvements was around
$18 million. Port staff asked BST
Associates to seek out alternate
options at a lesser cost, Brian Win-
ningham, a senior economist with the
consulting fi rm , said. The consultant
laid out several alternative schemes
for development that would drasti-
cally decrease the cost.
The presentation outlined concepts
for a boatyard with an 88-ton lift –
which the Port already operates – and
the addition of a 300-ton lift.
The study broke down estimates of
how diff erent lift sizes could increase
the number of haulouts. The data
showed that investment in a larger lift
should not be a priority, Isom said.
After years of debate over the future of
the Astoria Library, the city will ask vot-
ers in November to approve an $8 million
bond for renovations.
The tax rate is estimated at 57 cents per
$1,000 of assessed property value. The life
of the bond would be 22 years.
The cost of renovation, based on plans
developed by Henneber y Eddy Architects,
is expected to be $10.6 million.
The city has $2.1 million on hand from
carbon credits, coronavirus relief funds and
See Library, Page A6
City sets
conditions
for homeless
camping
City staff to unveil
locations in July
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
The Astoria City Council approved
a homeless camping ordinance Mon-
day night outlining the time and man-
ner for when someone can sleep on pub-
lic property.
The council
expects to dis-
MORE
cuss a separate
INSIDE
resolution detail-
• Astoria crafts
ing places peo-
waste allocations
ple can and can-
for breweries • A6
not sleep in July.
The
ordi-
• Astoria distrib-
nance,
which
utes grants to
went into eff ect
organizations • A6
upon passage,
is in response to
federal court rulings and state legislation
that prohibit police from enforcing illegal
camping on public property unless there
are adequate shelter spaces available for
See Port, Page A6
See Camping, Page A6
Lower Columbia Q Center reaches agreement to resolve legal dispute
OVER 90 DAYS, THE BOARD WILL OVERSEE
THE NONPROFIT’S OPERATIONS, REVISE
THE BYLAWS, REVIEW THE FINANCES AND
CLARIFY WHETHER ASTORIA PRIDE IS
CONTROLLED BY THE Q CENTER OR
IS AN INDEPENDENT EVENT.
Eight board members
were removed
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
A custodial board will guide the
Lower Columbia Q Center out of a
legal battle that caused confl ict and
dysfunction at the nonprofi t over the
past year.
Over 90 days, the board will
oversee the nonprofi t’s opera-
tions, revise the bylaws, review the
fi nances and clarify whether Astoria
Pride is controlled by the Q Center
or is an independent event.
A custodial board will determine
whether the Lower Columbia Q
Center controls Astoria Pride.
As part of an arbitration award,
the eight Q Center board members
who were involved in the legal dis-
pute have been removed. The cus-
todial board will appoint new board
members.
Judge Daniel Harris, who medi-
ated the dispute for the Arbitration
Service of Portland, encouraged the
custodial board to choose new board
members “who would be indepen-
dent and act in the best interest of
the viable function and mission” of
the nonprofi t.
Former Q Center board mem-
bers Taz Davis, Dida DeAngelis,
Don Duncan and Sandi Hilton said
the arbitration award brought some
clarity. “The previous board of
directors have been asked to support
the custodial board when requested
through their respective (counsels),”
they said in a statement.
“The respondents are grateful
that the dispute among the LCQC
board members has been resolved,”
Blair Henningsgaard, an Astoria
attorney, said on behalf of former
board members David Drafall, Hil-
ary Ann Levine, Tessa Scheller and
Jim Summers.
Judge Harris will retain jurisdic-
tion and address any issues with the
custodial board, which is made up
of Brett Estes, the chairman, who
serves as Astoria city manager;
Cindy Price, a former Astoria city
councilor who serves on the Plan-
ning Commission; and Marcus Run-
kle, a business consultant.
The Q Center, which provides
outreach, education and advocacy
for the region’s LGBTQ commu-
nity, has been divided since a con-
tentious board meeting in June 2021
that ended without being properly
adjourned.
A lawsuit fi led in Circuit Court
in December by Duncan, Davis,
See Dispute, Page A6